Mehrangahrh Fort – Jodhpur
A tour of Jodhpur is incomplete without a visit to the stunning Mehrangarh Fort. The Fort lies on the outskirts of Jodhpur city and is located atop a 125m high hill.
The Rathore dynasty, worshipped the Sun God. Hence, they named the fort 'Mehrangarh', derived from two words: 'Mihir', that stands for Sun and 'Garh' means Fort. The locals gradually began to call Mehar-garh as Mehrangarh in their local accent.
For over five centuries Mehrangarh has been the headquarters of the senior branch of Rajput clan known as the Rathores.
Legend of the Fort:
In the 15th century, having decided to move the Rathore citadel from nearby Mandore, Rao Jodha was looking for a strategic location to build his fort and discovered this rocky hill where the Meheragarh Fort is now situated. The hill was known as Bhakurcheeria, the Mountain of Birds, or Cheeriatunk; Its lone human occupant at the time was an old hermit called Cheeria Nathji, the Lord of the Birds. Even today the fort is home to thousands of birds, particularly the Cheel or Kite, the sacred bird of the Rathores.
Disturbed by the henchmen of Jodha, Cheerianath Ji cursed Rao Jodha that any structure built here would suffer from water shortage. Scared by the curse, Rao Jodha begged for forgiveness from Cheerianath ji. While Cheerianathji could not take bak the curse he has uttered, he told the king that the curse will be reversed only if anyone from the kingdom voluntarily sacrifices his life by willfully getting buried alive at the foundation.
Rjaram Bhambi, a skinner was bricked alive into the fort walls as a human sacrifice. There’s a small memorial slab at Rao Jodha’s Phalsa, which marks the exact place. Every year on May 12th, the founding day of Jodhpur, the Maharaja worships and felicitates the kin of Rajaram Bhambi.
Jodhpur - Blue City
Jodhpur is also known as the “Blue City” due to the large number of houses painted in turquoise-blue colour. When the city was built, only Brahmins and upper cast members were allowed to paint their house blue, to underline their higher social status. However gradually caste discriminations became less pervasive, and people also discovered that the indigo and limestone mix used to paint the houses blue was a useful mosquito repellent. Gradually, more and more houses were being painted in indigo and what had once been an upper-class privilege was diminished.
The city was built as the new capital of the state of Marwar (now Rajasthan) to replace the ancient capital Mandore, the ruins of which can be seen near the Mandore Gardens. The people of Jodhpur and surrounding areas are also commonly known as Marwaris.
The second largest city in Rajasthan, it is divided into two parts, the old city and the new city. The old city is surrounded by a strong wall with 8 gates leading out of it. Beyond the walled old city, lies the new city of Jodhpur. The alleyways in the old city are unique to the place and overwhelm a visitor with endless bazaars, textiles, and other art and craft. The old city’s boundary wall is 16 km long and is a good place to wander around and enjoy the essence of culture and architecture.

Sights :

• Mehrangarh Fort
• Jaswant Thada
• Umaid Bhawan Palace
• Mandore
• Rao Jodha Rock Park
• Guda Bishnoi Village

Travel Information
Connectivity :
Nearest Airport : Jodhpur Airport (10 km / 15 mins)
Nearby Destinations / Attractions :

• Ranakpur : 155 Km - 3 hrs
• Kumbhalgarh : 178 Km / 4 hrs
• Udaipur : 310 Km / 4.5 hrs
• Jaisalmer : 285 Km / 4.5 hrs
• Jaipur : 350 Km / 5.5 hrs

​Best time to visit and Climate :
Best time to visit Jodhpur is during the winter & spring months when the weather is glorious. May and june months are extremely hot with the temperature crossing 40 degree celcius.